Saturday, June 25, 2011

Adidas Supernova Pro Glasses Review

I was lucky enough to pick up a pair of the new Adidas Supernova Pro glasses a couple of months ago and have now spent some time testing them out and thrashing them to the best of my ability. As you would have read on my blog last year, I was highly impressed with last year's version of the Supernova and the thought of an improved version was enough to have me drooling from the corners of my mouth as I ripped open the packaging.

First impressions... They look really cool. No surprises here. Adidas seem to have a knack for making sexy eyewear and this is no exception. I really like the lime green colour and they also seemed to be slightly lighter than last year's version. The main differences immediately apparent with new Supernova Pro were the addition of a sweatband and a strap and the shape of the lens.

Being a frameless glass, the possibility is always there to experiment with ideal lens shapes and I much prefer the shape of this year's lens to the older version... In a practical sense, the frameless glass still allows excellent peripheral vision but the new shape wraps around the side of the face giving better protection. The new frame shape also rectifies what has long been a small annoyance when I wear glasses riding and that is the tendency for sweat to run down the arms of the glasses, onto the lens and then bead down the bottom of the lens in my line of vision... The new frame shape means that any sweat that makes it's way down the frame drops off the edge of the lens before it has the opportunity to hang around the bottom of the lens. Excellent!!! This coupled with the addition of a sweat band and a slight reduction in weight from it's older counterpart is a reason in itself to look at upgrading to the newer model.

Choices of lenses is still excellent. I found that the addition of the sweatband made lens changeover a little more time-consuming, but the upside to this is that there is a lens available which has a very light tint and can be used quite easily in low-light or bright conditions so I actually haven't had much need to change the lenses out.

Out on the trails, the new Supernova stacked up well. Like I mentioned before, excellent peripheral vision and lightweight. They also sit well under a helmet and similarly, sit nice and still on your face without a helmet if you want to use them for running (a bonus for multi-sporters)... They come in a large and small version and still have all the angle adjustments for the nosepiece and frame which has always made Adidas Eyewear the pinnacle in providing versatility for it's users. The other cool addition that comes with the new Supernova Pro is a strap to replace the arms... Once again, all about versatility... You can remove the arms and replace them with a strap that secures the glasses more firmly to your head. Personally, I found they stayed put quite well regardless, but the strap would be a good option for watersports (kayaking etc) or where you had to wear a full-face helmet and wanted to wear the glasses underneath.

I was a big fan of the old Supernova and I'm highly impressed that Adidas Eyewear have managed to improve on it even further. If you already have the old Supernova, the new ones are a worthwhile upgrade. Check them out on the Adidas Eyewear website

The Pinnacles - Coromandel Peninsual, NZ

Mount Taranaki - New Plymouth, NZ

Garda MTB Marathon - Lake Garda, Italy

Friends and Supporters

Tongariro Alpine Crossing - Tongariro National Park, NZ

Welcome Rock - Garston, NZ

Single Cone - Queenstown, NZ

Crown Range - Wanaka, NZ

My Weapons of Choice (Bike Arsenal)

THE NINJA - Yeti ASR5 Carbon with full Shimano XTR kit and those lovely new Fox shocks with the gold kashima coating. This thing is bliss to ride and climbs like a mountain goat. A true endurance race machine.

THE TURTLE - Don't be fooled by it's name. Capable of carrying large loads long distances, this sexy little Yeti ARC is my touring machine.

DIRTY ROADIE (because it usually is dirty) - Pinarello FP5 with SRAM Force

THE PORN STAR - Pink Yeti ASR prototype

RANDOM SINGLESPEED - Who knows what it is, but I painted it purple and removed all the gears it looks cool. Soon to become a singlespeed rig.

THE YAK - Old skool NZ made cro-moly Yak with pretty much all the original stuff on it, including the old conatilever brakes!!! I added some cool grips and pedals to make it look the part.

TRIKSTA - BMX... Unsure as to why I bought it as I am still trying to figure out how to work it. Appears to be quite small, even for me. One day I might learn to huck........

RALEIGH 20 - This was a donation to the quiver from someone who clearly did not appreciate the finer things in life... "If you don't want it, I'll just throw it out"... Like hell you will!!! This is in several pieces and will be a restoration work in progress.